American Indian Baskets: Building and Caring for a Collection by William A. Turnbaugh and Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh is a truly beautiful book that abounds with truly beautiful Native American baskets and very sound information.

This accomplished guide for collectors of vintage baskets crafted by American Indians offers more than 750 color photographs along with lots of very savvy text. The range of baskets detailed in this volume is significant. Coverage includes specific tribal styles within Native North America’s nine basketry regions—Southwest, Great Basin, California, Plateau, Northwest Coast, Arctic and Sub-Arctic, Plains, Southeast and Northeast.

The publishers note that one rather unique aspect of this new book is an-in-depth comparison of imported baskets being passed off to the unschooled as American Indian work. There is also an extensive look at both the cultural and historical background of Indian basket crafting and its influence on the marketplace.

There is great attention given to buying, selling and caring for such tradition rich baskets, and further a presentation of legal issues as they might affect basket collectors.

The authors are both anthropologists with university teaching and museum experience. They have written previous books on Native American craft and arts, including basketry and Southwestern jewelry.

American Indian Baskets: Building and Caring for a Collection by William A. Turnbaugh and Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh, hardcover, 256 pages, 782 color photos and index, is $59.99 plus shipping from Schiffer Publishing, www.schifferbooks.com.

Book reviews by Robert Reed, Antique and Collectible News Service, PO Box 204, Knightstown, IN 46148.